Harambee Stars head coach Benni McCarthy hopes to leverage the experience of his overseas players as they face the Scorpions of Gambia this evening at the Stade Olympique Alassane Ouattara in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire.
The star-studded national team arrived in Abidjan on Tuesday night, ahead of the crucial 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifier.
McCarthy has described the match as a battle of wits and a chess game, where every move will count.
“The majority of the players I travelled with play for clubs outside the country and have previously worn the national jersey. I believe their experience will be useful when we face Gambia,” McCarthy stated.
He added: “Our goal is to get as many points as possible from this tie. Gambia are a good team and we expect them to play a good match. We greatly respect them, but they must understand that we have come here to score as many points as possible,” he added.
The Harambee Stars team that left the country on Tuesday morning included only four of the local players, who had trained with the coach three days earlier.
Despite limited training time under McCarthy before the game, the team is optimistic about their chances.
The South African coach said the entire team, including the foreign-based stars, were up close for the first time on Wednesday during the final practice.
Kenya is currently fourth in Group ‘F’ with five points and five points behind the group leaders, Ivory Coast. McCarthy faces Irishman Jonathan McKinstry, who has carved his path in African football, having also tutored Kenyan champions Gor Mahia for two years— leading them to the Kenyan Premier League title.
Despite the daunting task of leading Gambia from the bottom of the group, McKinstry cautioned their opponents against dismissing them outright, warning that it would not be easy to extract points from his charges.
“Nobody should be duped into thinking we are the underdogs in Group ‘F’ just yet. In case our opponents will falter, we still have a mathematical chance of qualifying. This is only if we can accumulate maximum points from our remaining games,” he stated.
The coach praised Kenya’s team for their wealth of talent, having previously worked with some of the players. “I must say Kenya is a talentrich country because I have worked with and witnessed some of the players in action. We are prepared to win the crucial home points, but it will be a difficult game,” he admitted.
Due to a shortage of Cafcertified home fields, the Gambia currently hosts its home games in the neighbouring Ivory Coast.
“This logistical challenge does not
deter our determination to give
our best performance and secure
points in our matches,” he said.
